


We Were Gods, Once

by cantholdon



Category: DC Cinematic Universe, Supergirl (TV 2015)
Genre: Angst, But nothing over the top, F/F, Hancock-inpsired AU, There will be violence, a little RedK!Kara inspired, more characters will probably be involved, the story will get spicy in later chapters, we'll find out together, who knows though
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2017-09-29
Updated: 2017-11-05
Packaged: 2019-01-06 19:07:35
Rating: Mature
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 6
Words: 14,293
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/12217098
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/cantholdon/pseuds/cantholdon
Summary: Gods. Angels. Demons. They've been called many things.They were built in pairs, two halves of a single whole. They each had god-like powers, and were charged with protecting the world. The only thing that made them mortal was their other half - spending too much time in their presence.Most of them have died off by now, but there are three pairs left. Three of them are the heroes that the world needs, one is a business mogul, and the other two had their memories stolen away. What will happen when fate sees fit to cross a pair's path again? Will the truth come to light? Will the world's greatest hero return? Or will the ultimate betrayal irrevocably damage their relationship beyond repair?





	1. Chapter 1

**Author's Note:**

> So it feels like it's been five thousand years since I wrote and posted fanfiction, but I'm back now! I am very excited to be back at it, and writing for Supercorp. I hope you enjoy this Hancock-inspired AU.
> 
> As suggested in the tags, characters from the DC cinematic universe will be showing up (Clark, Bruce, Diana, and Arthur).
> 
> Now, let's get to it, shall we?

Humans had known they weren't alone in the universe for thousands of years. It seemed to be something they rediscovered time after time... after time.

First, _they_ were called gods. Angels. Demons. Witches. Saviors. Super heroes. Aliens.

Thousands of years ago, humanity had an easier time coming to terms with their place in the universe. They worshiped the beings that protected them, helped provide for them, aided them. The other beings had hundreds of names over the years, from every civilization they visited.

There had been dozens of them, once, long ago. They protected mankind and each other with their god-like powers. But, for all their strength, all their fortitude, all their endurance... each and every one of them had a fatal flaw.

Their other half.

Whatever they truly were, they had been made in pairs. One was stronger, one was smarter. One was an optimist, one was a pessimist. One was the shade under a tree on a hot summer day, one was the warmth of the sun shining through in the deepest of winter. Together, they made each other whole... but they made each other mortal.

Perhaps it was a cruel cosmic joke. Or perhaps, it was a kindness - when immortality had run its course and they were tired of protecting mankind.

Mankind was, again, coming to terms with the fact that the universe didn't revolve around them. They had other beings walking among them, that looked just like them - and other species descending upon Earth for refuge or to cause trouble.

Among these titans that walked the earth, three made themselves known as friends to mankind. Champions of Earth. Protectors. They were three of the six ancients still left in the world. One of the other ancients had built an unrivaled business empire with their centuries of knowledge.

And the other two... the other two didn't remember who they were.

~*~

Kara went wherever the wind took her - sometimes literally. That was one of the benefits of flight. She could let the jet stream catch her, push her along so it took less effort on her part. Her wandering nature helped to alleviate the fact that she never felt like she had a place where she belonged.

Hell, she didn't even know what she was. Kara only knew her name because she found it scrawled on a piece of paper on her person when she woke up from an accident she couldn't remember. The only other thing she had on her person at the time was some period appropriate money. Figuring out that she wasn't human had been a learning curve, but eventually she figured it out and settled into whoever or whatever she was.

But it always felt like there was something just... missing. Something important. Something she couldn't remember.

Sometimes, just before going to sleep, when the line between being awake and asleep was blurred, she could swear she nearly saw... _something_. It was the last fleeting thought she had most days, and it was always gone by the morning.

And then there were the dreams. Blurry visions of the distant past. She could hear violent clashing, see monsters from fairy tales, feel the intensity of battle. There was never anything concrete in these fuzzy… memories? Were they even memories, or was her blank mind creating images for her to dream about?

It didn't matter, she told herself. Kara did what she could to keep herself busy, to keep herself distracted. She went out to have a good time and took comfort from others where she could find it.

Whatever she wanted to do - she did, even on a fleeting whim. The laws of mortals didn't apply to her. They couldn't do anything to stop her if they wanted to. There were those who could - _Superman. Batman. Wonder Woman_. Sometimes Kara wondered if they were like her, or if they were aliens that had come to Earth, like so many others. She steered clear of them, not wanting to find out the answer. Clearly, she was doing the best on her own.

There were a lot of videos of her exploits on the internet. Everyone had a camera it seemed, and more often than not, trouble found her - even if she was the one who'd gone looking for it in the first place. She couldn't help the fact that bullets bounced off of her, or that she could fly, or that she could pull a 15,000 ton sinking destroyer out of the ocean _and_ fly it to land. She also couldn't help that there were witnesses around to see when she did something superhuman.

They dubbed her Supergirl or some stupid shit like that.

Kara looked below herself as she passed into a new city - National City, to be exact. It was just the latest place her drifting nature brought her to. Better than the little town in the middle of nowhere Kansas she'd spent some time in. She'd left the town after foiling a robbery by wrapping the assailants' shotguns around them, then stringing them upside down from a street light until the authorities arrived. Had she not been in the store they were trying to rob, she probably wouldn't have even bothered.

Her arrival in National City was discrete enough. Things got difficult… messy, when people found out who she was. It was always, “ _Supergirl! Oh, Supergirl, save me!_ ” Humanity was pathetic. They were embarrassingly willing to let others do what they should have done for themselves.

At first, her stay in National City was a fairly quiet one. The place was a hub for criminal and alien activity, though. The city's large police force and even a black list government agency were able to handle most everything - _most_.

On Kara's third day there, she was on her way to pick up something for lunch - food was one of her few joys in the world anymore - when she was interrupted. A very large, very blue, grungy looking alien was absolutely tearing up one part of the city, and the authorities couldn't suppress the problem. It was being inconvenienced and being stopped from getting her meal that made her step in.

"Hey, Tall, Blue, and Ugly!" she called to the alien as officers shouted for her to get back. "Pick on somebody your own size."

"Females can't fight Lobo," he replied with a sneer.

"Oh, well... you got me," Kara shrugged and partially turned away, then moved faster than a speeding bullet. She launched herself at the alien, both fists hitting him square in the chest and suddenly both of them were off the ground. They barreled through the wall of a parking garage and Kara slammed 'Lobo' into the concrete. She hovered off the ground as he got back up.

"Lobo likes a challenge," the alien stated, charging after her.

"I thought you said a girl couldn't fight you," Kara mimicked him with plenty of sarcasm before they got into a brawl. They traded hits that no mere mortal could have survived, but Kara didn't get so much as a bruise, even as she was knocked back through the wall of the parking garage. The fight spilled back into the street, where pedestrians and officers alike fled from them.

Growing frustrated, Lobo grabbed and yanked free a cement pillar from a nearby building. A good hit managed to send Kara flying upward - and not of her own accord. The hit was strong enough to send her into a skyscraper. She entered by way of the wall of the second highest story, crashing up through the floor of an immaculate office on the top floor. She didn’t stop there, barreling through the wall of said office, out into a waiting area. Going through so many layers of glass, concrete, steel, and dry wall slowed her enough that when she hit the next wall it stopped her and she dropped the floor.

"Ah, _fuck_ ," she swore quietly, taking a moment to gather herself before pushing herself up from the floor. There were tears and dust marring her dark colored clothing. Bits of concrete fell off of her as she started to stand.

The CEO whose building she just ruined looked around at the newest renovations. Concrete was broken, steel beams twisted, carpet beyond repair… and her cup of coffee that was painstakingly pressed by her assistant every morning was spilled on top of it all. Just a few feet from where she was sitting, she could look down and see the office below hers – and even outside.

Lips, colored with just the right shade of ruby red, pursed. Lena Luthor, ever composed, stood from her desk and followed the trail of destruction that someone, or something, had left behind. At the new hole in her wall, she heard the stranger speak.

But the blonde woman who had torn up her building was no stranger at all. No matter how many years passed, she would know that voice.

“Oh… oh my god,” a trembling voice spoke from the desk at the head of the waiting room.

“Jess,” Lena addressed her assistant coolly. “Why don’t you take the rest of the day off?”

Jess, wide-eyed and clearly in shock, glanced at her boss. “Ms. Luthor, are you sure?”

“Yes,” came the clipped answer. “I’ll take care of this mess.”

Kara stood up straight as others spoke around her, patting some of the dust away off herself. She looked first to the young woman that was in the room with her. There was no regret for startling the woman as badly as she did. Then, she looked to the hole in the wall she’d made and for a moment, her breath hitched.

The strangest sense of familiarity and warmth washed over her, as she looked at the most beautiful woman she had _ever_ seen. There were a lot of women she had seen over the years, too. Those lips, those eyes, that curve-hugging outfit… those eyes. By the gods, Kara could have sworn she had met this woman before. However, she squashed the sudden bout of feelings – because she simply didn’t need them.

“Golly gee, Ms. Luthor,” she drawled, wiping herself off a bit more. Everyone in the world knew who Lena Luthor was, and Kara reasoned that was why she felt the way she did – simply recognizing the business mogul. “I’d say that I’m sorry about your building, but you should really get your apology from the alien that used me for batting practice. I’m sure you’ll be able to get your building fixed pretty easily, but… maybe I could pay you back in another way?”

Was she flirting? Absolutely. Had she tried to hide it when checked the billionaire out? Not at all. Was she worried about the alien still rampaging in the streets below? Not a chance. Beautiful women took precedence, and when one didn’t _really_ care about saving the day, there wasn’t much of a sense of urgency.

Lena’s lips drew into a thin line again. The hero she had known so long ago seemed lost. It was her own doing, of course. What was left of that hero stood before her, all bravado and no care for the people she had sworn to protect. It shook the walls that she had taken so long to build around herself, but they didn’t break.

“What I want,” Lena began, voice firm, “is for you to leave.”

Kara perked a brow as she was denied and thrown out – just like that. It was new, to say the least, and there was hardly anything new in her life anymore. It was almost refreshing.

“Well, far be it from me to deny a lady what she wants,” Kara replied. She strolled through the hole she’d made in the wall, hearing the CEO’s assistant scramble for the elevator now that her path was clear. Kara walked right on through the once immaculate office that she had unwittingly decimated and let herself out onto the balcony. The glass door was left open behind her, as she couldn’t be bothered to put in the effort to close it.

“Good luck fixing your building, Ms. Luthor,” Kara called over her shoulder as she stepped up onto the ledge of the balcony.

Lena followed Kara, unable to stop herself from doing so. The breeze outside made a few strands of hair break free from where it had been pulled back.

“Wait,” Lena demanded before she thought better of it. “What are you going to do? Whatever knocked you into my building is clearly strong.” And such rough housing in National City – where Lena was – was not a wise idea for Kara. If they spent too much time near one another, their immortality would wane. That had always been more dangerous for Kara than it was for her.

“Golly, Ms. Luthor, it almost sounds like you care,” Kara mused, looking from the CEO down to the city below. “I’m going to finish the fight. Tall, Blue, and Ugly interrupted my lunch run. He got a lucky shot in, that’s all. How many times has Superman gotten tossed around?”

She watched as Lobo picked up a police cruiser and tossed it like it was nothing. The alien’s aim was a group of officers trying to suppress him with gunfire. The cops had to scatter, narrowly missing getting crushed. Clearly law enforcement needed some serious back up.

Still not going any faster than she wanted to, Kara glanced back at Lena. “Maybe I’ll see you around, Ms. Luthor,” she suggested with a wink, and then… she simply stepped off the balcony. She let herself free fall for several stories before catching herself with flight and controlled her descent toward Lobo.

Now that Kara was doubly irritated – she was late for a meal and had been punted through a building – the ensuing fight was much more one-sided than it had been before. This time, Lobo only got in a few hits before Kara literally beat him into the ground. The blue alien only stopped trying to fight when he was unconscious, laying in a crater of broken asphalt.

Kara was never one to care about the collateral damage that she caused. Humans were lucky she intervened to save them. They could clean up after her. She wasn’t all that concerned, either, when several folks dressed in tactical, black outfits approached the alien that she had felled. A leap into the air, and she was gone, leaving Lobo to his black site fate.

Her biggest concern now was getting a change of clothes and finally going to get her meal. In a clean outfit, Kara went and got herself enough take out for a small family. As she shoved a potsticker in her mouth on her walk back home, she decided she’d pay a certain CEO a visit in a couple of days.

Only to make sure the woman’s building got fixed, of course. There obviously wouldn’t be any other reason for a visit.


	2. Chapter 2

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Memories of the past haunt Lena, and Kara pays her another visit.

_756 A.D._

_Lena hummed contently, wrapped in strong arms and warm furs. This was their first night together in… years, though such an amount of time was only a grain of sand on a beach to them. Her body thrummed pleasantly, so utterly happy to be reconnected to her other half._

_She was laying with her head on a firm shoulder, hand splayed across a toned stomach. “I missed you,” she whispered._

_A chuckle reverberated in the chest beneath her head. “I could tell,” Kara replied. “I missed you too, my love.”_

_A pleasant silence fell between them. Despite being apart for so long, they picked up right where they left off each time. Kara’s fingertips traced up and down Lena’s bicep, watching the shadows from a fire in the hearth dance along the walls around them. She listened to the steady song that Lena’s heart beat out for her, at absolute peace, despite what had happened earlier in the day._

_As if knowing what the other woman was thinking, Lena spoke up. “The battlefield was vast today. So many lives lost…”_

_“They fought bravely,” Kara stated. “None of them shrunk away from the challenge they faced. They fought for their land and their families.”_

_"I have seen the hearts of men go cold at lesser enemies.” Lena lifted her head so that she could look up into eyes an unrivaled shade of blue._

_“I have hope for them,” Kara replied optimistically. “These people live with honor, bravery, and love in their hearts. They’re good people. They faced enemies larger than themselves.”_

_“I’m sure it helped having the world’s greatest champion on their side,” Lena smiled._

_“Now I don’t know about that.” Kara leaned up, guiding Lena to lay on her back, then straddled the woman’s waist. Her lips found Lena’s, then traveled to Lena’s jaw, down her neck, and down to her collarbone. Despite the great strength she possessed, she was nothing but gentle._

_Lena lifted a hand, letting her fingers tuck into golden locks of hair, a soft sigh escaping her parted lips. “You’re going to wear us out, Kara,” she half-heartedly complained._

_“I have time to make up for,” Kara said, lips ghosting across Lena’s skin._

Lena shut her eyes against the memory, even though that wouldn't stop the images in her head.

For three days, Lena couldn't focus on anything but the aching loneliness in her chest. It was all because _someone_ decided to wreck her tower. She had been doing perfectly fine, boxing up her feelings, before Kara came along again. Allowing herself to become so visible had clearly been a bad idea. Now, she had to face her demons… or find a way to scare them off.

Lena's distraction was so thorough that even as she sat at her desk, staring at her computer screen, she had no idea what was on it. Time passed without her notice – how long it had been was anyone’s guess. Suddenly, guilt gripped her already aching heart like an icy vice. It was enough to pull her from her reverie, and put her into action.

She reached forward and pressed the intercom button on her phone. “Jess, hold my calls for a bit, please,” she instructed.

“ _Yes, Ms. Luthor_ ,” came Jess' chipper reply.

A moment later, Lena picked up the phone and dialed a number from memory. It had been ages since they spoke, but they always had a way to get in touch with one another.

“ _Hello_?” a familiar, accented voice answered.

“Diana, she's here. Kara's in National City. She found me,” Lena blurted out, without so much as a pause.

“ _I thought I saw something about that on the world news. Are you surprised, though? You're not exactly hiding._ ” Diana pointed out the obvious and it grated on Lena's fraying nerves.

“Hiding in plain sight?” Lena suggested, though she wouldn't have even convinced herself.

“ _Are you trying to fool yourself, or me?_ ”

Lena sighed. “Both of us.”

“ _Then you should have tried much, much harder.”_

There was a short hesitation before Lena pressed gently, “Arthur?”

Silence hung between them for a few moments. “ _I found him a few years ago. He's alive and well, obviously… if unhappy_.”

Clark and Bruce had been so against their plan when they discovered it. Lena and Diana hadn't seen any other choice, though. Whereas Clark and Bruce could reason with one another, they didn't understand that Kara and Arthur simply couldn't be rational at times. When Lena and Diana were forced to action, neither one of their other halves would listen to reason.

“ _Is this the first time you've seen her since…_ ”

“Yes,” Lena whispered, emotion getting the better of her for the barest of seconds before she let out a self-deprecating laugh. “That probably makes me a monster, doesn't it? It's been… a hundred and fifty years.”

“ _You did what you thought was right. We both did,_ ” Diana answered with sympathy. “ _We'll finish this conversation in person. I'll be there in a couple of days to help in any way I can._ ”

“Thank you.” After quick goodbyes, Lena hung up the phone and leaned back in her chair. Her hands went to her temples, rubbing them lightly to alleviate some of her stress.

As if knowing that was her cue, Kara touched down on the balcony and let herself right on into the office. “I see your building got fixed just fine. I like what you've done with the place.” The CEO's office had some redecorating done, and Kara couldn't help but notice how sterile it felt. There were no pictures, no personal touches to the space – unless a chess board on the coffee table counted. Seeing as that was the only “personal” item, Kara didn’t think it did count.

Lena nearly jumped out of her skin at the unwelcome intrusion. “That is _not_ an entrance,” she scolded the blonde.

Kara merely shrugged, strolling further into the office. “Anything is a door for me.”

“I believe that's called trespassing then,” Lena pointed out. She couldn't believe Kara's timing – perhaps the woman’s ears had been burning. It also made her wonder if Kara had heard any of her conversation.

Kara sauntered over to the coffee table, looking down at the chess board. “Boring game,” she commented even as she reached down to make the first move with a white pawn.

A shapely brow perked as Lena stood up and walked around her desk. It was absurd that she felt so out of place in her own office, just because Kara was there. She refused to let the blonde know what kind of effect she had, though. Lena walked over and took a seat on her couch, making the second move of the game.

Rather than sit, Kara stayed standing where she was on the other side of the coffee table. The two were quiet as several moves played out on the board. It was almost as if they had suddenly stepped back in time, because this wasn’t the first time they had played the game. When Lena glanced up at Kara, she saw the woman’s brow crinkled in the same way that Lena found maddeningly adorable.

The warmth of it made her heart go cold again. “What are you doing here?” Lena suddenly demanded.

Kara let go of one of her knights after moving it. “I came to see if you’re building got fixed.”

“You could have seen that from the street,” Lena said. “Thanks to a team of engineers and contractors that worked around the clock, the damage that you did is fixed.”

“Hey, it wasn’t my fault,” Kara defended herself. She watched as Lena used the black queen to take one of her knights.

“Of course not. Nothing that happens in your presence is your fault, is it?”

Kara tried to use her other knight to get in a good move, but a second later, the black queen swallowed that one up as well. “That alien _literally_ hit me up here.”

“And that hole you left in the street below? They’re still working on it. The parking garage you tore up? I could sit here for hours listing off all the damage you’ve done.”

Kara didn’t try to make another move in their game – it was a lost cause, anyway. “I’ve saved people’s lives,” she reasoned

“And left millions of dollars in damages in your wake,” Lena snapped right back. “In fact, it’s probably in the billions by now.”

“Saving the world is messy business.”

“But you’re not in the business of saving the world.” Lena was treating Kara like they were in a business meeting and she didn’t like what the other person was proposing. Once upon a time, Kara had brought out the very best in her – and now… it was only pain. “You’re just meandering around the world, trying and failing to entertain yourself.”

“A fan, are you?”

“A skeptic,” Lena corrected harshly. “People are fans of Superman, Batman, and Wonder Woman. You… from what I hear, people would rather stay as far away from you as they can get. Otherwise, they might get caught as collateral damage.”

Kara huffed, turning away from the table and taking several steps in the opposite direction. “Coming back here was a bad idea.”

“Cleary.” Lena stayed seated, happy for some of the distance between them. “Why did you really come here?”

Kara didn’t answer immediately. Truth be told, she had been unable to get Lena Luthor off her mind since their first meeting. There was the strangest feeling she had, something that she simply couldn’t put into words. It felt like there was a magnet anchored inside each of them, and for all the strength she possessed, she could barely resist the pull.

 _That_ was why she ended up in the CEO’s office.

“Like I said,” she drawled, “I wanted to make sure your building got fixed.”

“You’ve seen it,” Lena pointed out, finally standing up. With purposeful steps, she brushed past Kara and walked to the glass door to her balcony, opening it. “And now you are keeping me from my work.”

Effectively and thoroughly dismissed again, Kara crossed her arms over her chest and smirked. “Nobody else ever talks to me that way.”

“Apparently they need to. Now, if I have to ask you to leave again, I will get several heavily armed guards to help you find the way out.” Not that such measures would be necessary – Lena could literally throw Kara out herself. However, she had appearances to keep up, and the more Kara knew, the worse shape their situation would be in.

“It sounds like you need to loosen up, Ms. Luthor,” Kara mused as she made her way over to the door. Rather than stepping outside, she stopped right in front of Lena – closer than was polite. “And I’d love to help.”

Lena scoffed, rolling her eyes as she glanced away. “I am _not_ some conquest to put a notch in your belt.” When she looked back and met Kara’s eyes, she immediately regretted it. “Leave.”

Kara’s smirk was annoyingly still in place. “Well, if you change your mind, I’ll be around.” Though she was never one to care whether or not she overstayed her welcome, she stepped out onto the balcony.

“I highly doubt I will. You shouldn’t waste your time in National City.” Lena hoped that by completely shutting Kara down, she could make the woman move on.

“I haven’t even tried half the restaurants in the city,” Kara replied. “And the food here is really, really good. I’m sure we’ll see each other again, Ms. Luthor.”

“I hope not,” Lena’s words had plenty of bite to them as Kara lifted off from the balcony. She waited and watched as Kara flew away from the tower before relaxing.

As she shut the door to the balcony, she briefly thought about having a lock installed on it. However, as Kara had mentioned, a lock simply wasn’t going to stop her. There was only one thing that could stop the blonde woman, and Lena wasn’t ready for that. She had never been ready for it, and that was why they were in the position they were in now.

Lena stood by the door for long moments before her attention was drawn to the safe hidden in the cabinets of her office. Slowly, tentatively, she crossed to the inside wall of the office and opened a cabinet door to reveal the safe. She placed her hand over the biometric lock and gulped as she heard the lock come undone. A second later, the safe door fell open.

Hand trembling and mentally cursing herself for such a weakness, Lena reached inside. Her fingers wrapped around a cool, glowing, green orb and she pulled it from its resting place. Many, many years ago, the crystal looked like it had been filled with light colored mist that swooped and swirled within its confines. Now, it looked like there were dark, ominous storm clouds roiling and boiling inside.

Just what was inside the crystal? Thousands upon thousands of years of knowledge and memories, that had once belonged to someone. The magic keeping it contained was having a harder and harder time doing its job – hence the storm brewing inside. If it broke… Lena couldn’t imagine what would happen.

Kara would hate her, and she would deserve it. Maybe Kara would even vanquish her, like the monsters of old that she defeated. She would probably deserve that, as well. Her betrayal of Kara had been absolute, and it was unforgivable.

She brushed her finger tips over the green crystal. “I’m so sorry, my darling,” she whispered.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> So the plot thickens... Hope you enjoyed this angsty, Lena-centered chapter!
> 
> Oh, and yes, if it wasn't obvious: I have paired off Bruce and Clark, and Diana and Arthur for this fic.


	3. Chapter 3

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Another memory, a visit from Diana, and a mid-air rescue.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> A few people asked if the crystal orb was part of the Hancock movie - it is not. That's a little touch I've added in for angst~.
> 
> Also, there was a small addition to the previous chapter. I added in the year of the flashback that Lena had, and each flashback going forward will have a timestamp on it.

_1794 A.D._

_The manor was filled with hundreds of people, dressed up and wearing masques. Music was played by a full band at the head of the grand hall. People were dancing, eating, drinking, and generally having a merry old time._

_Lena had arrived alone, and intended to leave that way as well. There was only one person she would consider leaving with, and she hadn’t the faintest idea as to where in the world Kara was at the moment. She allowed herself indulgences like this to enjoy her time, and combat the intense feel of loneliness when Kara was gone._

_The last time they had parted, it hadn’t been on the best of terms. Since then, she hadn’t so much as gotten a letter from Kara, like she usually did._

_So, she sought out distraction and mortal company – and got plenty of it here. Her dress would be considered risqué, and she got a great deal of attention for it. The dress was strapless, showing off a scandalizing amount of fair skin. Its top was ruby red, the skirt white with elegant red patterns in it. Her evening gloves were the same shade of red as the dress and reached passed her elbows. Even her velvet masque was ruby in shade, accented with white and gold decoration, and topped with a white feather on the left side.  
_

_Many of the costumes and masques that evening were brilliant in color. They ranged in style from dainty and angelic, to downright devilish – with horns and all. There were those who looked regal and others who seemed to have stepped right out of the carnival._

_Masquerade balls could be such magical places._

_“Excuse me,” a man interrupted her as she watched people dance. “You’ve been watching for some time… would you care to dance?”_

_Lena gave him a once over. The man was dressed sharply in a common costume for masquerades: the domino. Perhaps it wouldn’t be so bad to indulge a bit further. She did so love to dance._

_“Well, since you asked so kindly,” she answered, offering her hand. Lena couldn’t see whether or not he smiled – his face was covered by the full masque that he wore. She did follow as he led her out onto the dance floor._

_Amid all the other dancing couples, he stopped. A moment later, he was facing her and took the lead for their dance. He wasn’t the most confident of leads, nor did he try to enhance the dance with extra steps. It could have been expected, since he was only so clever as to dress up in an overused costume._

_The two did part for a moment for a flowing hinge away from one another – still a most basic of move – when suddenly, Lena was swept away by another partner. The move was absolutely fluid. A firm, gloved hand took hers out of the man’s she had just been dancing with, and a new arm wrapped around her waist. Just like that, Lena fell in time with the bold and confident intruder._

_Her new partner was wearing elegant clothes – a blue suit with beautiful red embroidering in the vest and gold trimmings on the waistcoat. The masque they wore was black with blue and red accents. A hat sat atop their head, helping to hide long, blonde hair._

_“I know you,” a most familiar voice stated, making Lena smile._

_Before she could answer, her feet left the ground as they twirled – Kara lifting her with ease. As her feet met the ground again, she didn’t miss a step. Rather than trying to speak right now, which would have been difficult given the pace of their dance, Lena followed where Kara led her._

_Kara’s steps were assertive, whereas her previous partner had been timid at best. Lena’s eyes stayed locked on her lover’s as much as they could through spins, turns, and dips. They swept away from one another, only to meet back in the middle with vigor. Kara lifted and turned Lena more than once._

_Every movement led into the next with ease. The dance floor cleared as others took notice of the kind of waltz they had never witnessed so well done before. There was no need for communication as Kara and Lena simply_ knew _what was next each step of the way._

_By the time the music came to an end, they were completely alone on the dance floor. A large ring of people had formed, watching the pair. When Kara and Lena came to a stop, chest to chest and breathing heavily, the others in attendance began to clap for them._

_Lena hardly saw or heard the others as a gloved hand rested on Kara’s cheek and she leaned up closer to the blonde. “Don’t leave me,” she whispered._

_“I won’t,” Kara promised._

Lena woke to her heart aching more than it had been even in the past few days. Memories she had so carefully stashed away were refusing to be pushed away anymore. Hardly a moment went by where she wasn’t thinking about Kara and everything they had. It seemed as though the years had worn on her resolve.

Feeling the weight of her actions pressing down on her, Lena dressed for work and went in. At least she could throw herself into her work to distract from her feelings. It had been two days since Kara barged into her office under the pretense of “seeing if the building was fixed.” Lena wished Kara would just move on, but there were still plenty of reports of the blonde around the city.

Lena made sure that Jess had her days booked as solid as they possibly could be. Her enhanced work load meant she was running her assistant a little more ragged than normal, but once Kara was gone, everything would go back to normal. She just had to get to that point. Hopefully she wouldn’t be waiting long.

As Lena sat to enjoy a few minutes of solitude for lunch, Jess' voice came across the intercom. “ _Ms. Luthor? A Diana Prince is here to see you. I don't have her on your schedule, but she’s very insistent that you are expecting her._ ”

A sigh of relief escaped Lena as she answered her assistant. “It's alright, please show her in.” A moment later, the office door opened and her assistant ushered Diana inside. “Thank you, Jess. I must have forgotten to tell you about this meeting. Cancel my one o'clock please.”

“Of course, Ms. Luthor,” Jess replied. “Don’t forget about the demonstration this evening.” The assistant then let herself out of the office.

When the door was closed, Lena got up and went to hug her oldest friend. “I’m glad you came,” she said as they parted. She motioned Diana over to her couch and they sat down together.

“How are you doing?” Diana questioned as they got comfortable.

“As well as can be expected for someone who absolutely and utterly betrayed the person they love.” Lena shifted in her seat, crossing her legs.

“We did what we thought was best,” Diana was a steady voice of reason. “Neither Kara nor Arthur was willing to compromise or even be reasonable. They’re both so very stubborn.”

“She was so good, Diana. The best of all of us,” Lena replied sadly. “And now look at her; look at what I did.”

“The strongest and bravest, paired with the wisest and most clever,” Diana nodded. “You’re _both_ everything that the rest of us should have been.”

“That wisdom got us so very far.” Lena looked away, toward the balcony. “She’s still the strongest, but the hero that she was has wasted away. I wonder if maybe I should just break the crystal. She’ll hate me. She’ll despise me… but at least she’d be herself again.”

“And what if that doesn’t _fix_ the problem?” Diana questioned. She wasn’t trying to make the situation more difficult, but she wanted to make sure Lena thought through all of her options. “Give her back everything she lost, and it may push her further down the path that she’s on now.”

Lena was quiet for a moment, torn between her choices. That was something she hadn’t considered. If Kara knew what she did, knew that Lena left her alone for a century and a half, it could do more harm than good. It seemed like it should have been an easy choice to make, but she had everything to lose – again.

“Where did you find Arthur?” Lena questioned, turning their conversation away from her and Kara for a moment.

“He was in a small fishing town on the coast,” Diana answered, a small, fond smile forming on her lips. “He never has strayed far from the ocean.”

Lena smiled as well. Arthur was a creature of habit and out of all of them, the one who connected the most with the water. Abzu, Neptune, Poseidon, Lir, Njord, and so many other names had been bestowed upon him over the millennia. His love for the sea was rivaled only by his love for Diana.

“Perhaps if Wonder Woman shows up, Kara will rethink staying here,” Diana suggested after a few moments of silence. “She avoids Metropolis and Gotham because of Clark and Bruce, and wherever Wonder Woman goes, she stays away from. It’s like she doesn’t like us or something.” Diana chuckled.

“She probably doesn’t want to find out if you three can stop her.”

“Well… not even Clark and I together could stop her once upon a time.” Diana and Clark were the stronger ones in their pairs. Each of them had a unique power given to them as well – Diana could create a wave of power by hitting her forearms together, Clark’s breath could be ice, and Kara could concentrate unstoppable heat with her vision.

“I would appreciate it if you stayed in town for a few days,” Lena said, finally looking back at Diana.

“Wonder Woman will pop up and save the day a couple of times. Maybe that will be enough to get Kara to move on.”

The two chatted about inconsequential things after that. Diana told Lena about the masterpieces she was working on at the Louvre, and Lena talked about what projects she had coming up with her company. The things she was doing for mankind were a large part of the reason she had taken Kara’s memories. The world needed what she could give it, and it needed Kara to be a hero, too.

Eventually, it came time for Lena to leave for the demonstration of a new defense system that her company was working on. Mankind was too good at killing one another, and continued building deadlier weapons to manage that feat with. It wasn’t like the days of old when all men had were swords and axes. Now, one man could push a button and kill millions. Lena hoped to curb the mass destruction before mankind wiped itself out.

Lena traveled by way of helicopter out to the desert. There, they could safely fire projectiles and test the defense system without worry of collateral damage. A couple of hours were spent out in the field and while the tests were a success, there was still work that needed to be done. It was what Lena expected, because nothing was perfect without a great deal of work.

It was well after dark when they flew back to National City. Things were going just fine and they were nearing the tower when lights began to flash and alarms began to sound.

“Hold on, Ms. Luthor!” the pilot said over the raucous. He was fighting to keep control of the helicopter, which was suddenly rocking and flailing violently.

Lena reached out to steady herself, breathing becoming erratic even though a crash wouldn’t hurt her. It was that very fact that would cause her so much trouble. She could save herself and the pilot as well, and in doing so, have to give up everything she’d built over the past few years. Her success came from the people thinking she was just like them.

On the other side of the city, inhuman hearing picked up squawking alarms and a shuttering engine about ready to completely give out. Kara had been out for a leisurely fly around the city when that was interrupted. She stopped and looked in the direction of the distressed aircraft, seeing a helicopter losing altitude.

After only a moment’s hesitation – while she tried to decide whether it was worth her time or not – Kara flew in that direction. She easily caught the aircraft, grabbing the fuselage as it swung back around her way. The force with which it stopped jarred the helicopter and its occupants, and Kara heard the distinct ‘smack’ of something hitting the window.

When the engine finally gave out and the rotors sputtered to a stop, Kara kept the aircraft from falling. She shifted where she was holding it so she could get further up to where the occupants were. Opening up the door, she was greeted with panicked, wide, green eyes.

“Golly, Ms. Luthor,” Kara smirked. “And here I thought you didn’t want to see me again.”

“Keep your smartass remarks to yourself until my feet are on the ground,” Lena demanded.

Kara softened, offering the woman a nod. “Just hang on. I’ve got you.” More careful about it than she would have been with anyone else, Kara got the failed helicopter to Lena’s tower and set it down. The pilot was out cold – apparently that was the smack that she had heard.

After setting the helicopter down, Kara helped Lena out of the cockpit. Then, she went around to the other side and got the pilot out. He was still down for the count and probably needed medical attention.

“Wait right here,” Kara told Lena, who had wrapped her arms tightly around herself. “I’m going to take him to the hospital, and then I’ll be back.” She didn’t wait for an answer before taking off with the injured man.

Lena had half a mind to ignore Kara’s wishes. It would be better for them if she went about her business. She could go home, have a drink, and forget that Kara had saved her. How could Kara still be so good at knowing when she was in trouble? The answer was an easy one, even if Lena didn’t want to acknowledge it. Her decision was made for her when, not two minutes later, Kara joined her again.

“I don’t think you should go back to work after a scare like that, Ms. Luthor,” Kara said. “Let me take you home.”

“I have a driver that can take me home,” Lena replied coolly.

“Yeah, but I’m a much better ride.”

Lena rolled her eyes at the innuendo. “Vulgarity like that isn’t doing you any favors.”

“Alright, alright,” Kara relented, raising her hands in surrender. “Let me make sure you get home safe.”

Lena knew it would be a terrible idea to get so close to Kara, and yet… “Fine. But you’re not staying.”

“Of course,” Kara agreed, smiling as she got her way.

Lena already had her bag, so she approached the blonde. She stiffened slightly as she was scooped up into strong arms, wrapping her own Kara’s neck and shoulders. It felt exactly like she remembered, being in the arms of a titan – _her_ titan. Though she didn’t want to, she felt herself relaxing even as they lifted into the air.

“I thought you weren’t in the business of saving the world,” Lena commented.

Kara half-shrugged, careful not to jostle Lena too much. “I’m not,” she answered. “But sometimes I make an exception.”

“Lucky me.” Lena pointed Kara in the direction of her apartment building as they started moving.

It wasn’t long at all before Kara’s feet touched down on the balcony to Lena’s top floor apartment. More gentle than she could ever remember being, she set Lena down. Her heart was pounding harder than normal for a reason she couldn’t explain, aside from the fact that she’d had the other woman so close.

Lena didn’t move away from Kara immediately. She couldn’t bring herself to. Even when her own two feet were on the ground, she leaned in to Kara. Ever so slowly she looked up into blue eyes, but her gaze didn’t stay there. It wandered back down to lips she so longed to kiss, and felt herself leaning in.

Kara’s breath hitched in her throat. She felt Lena’s hand on her neck as the woman leaned in dangerously close. While she didn’t want to press her luck, it was difficult not to finish closing the distance between them.

Lena caught herself at the last possible second, a scant breath away from connecting their lips. Her eyes widened for a moment as realization struck her, then she cleared her throat and pulled back, completely away from Kara. She had nearly just damned them both.

“You…” Lena’s voice was as unsteady as she felt. “You need to leave.”

Kara was a bit shocked herself. Here she’d been so close to kissing the most beautiful woman that she had ever seen. Now, she was being told to leave – just like that. What caught her more off guard was just how badly she wanted to stay. She was good at self-control, but that pull to Lena that she had felt before seemed like it had quadrupled in strength.

“You need to leave,” Lena repeated, firmer and more sure of herself this time.

Kara opened her mouth to reply, but nothing came out. For just a moment, they weren’t in National City, nor even in modern times. For just a moment, she saw Lena in a fine silken dress, her hair pinned up intricately – and she was telling Kara to leave, eyes misty and in distress. Kara blinked several times and the scene returned to the present.

Kara turned and leapt from the balcony, too rattled by what she had seen to stick around. Nothing like that had ever happened to her before and she didn’t have an explanation. That split second of… whatever it was, felt incredibly real. As real as standing on the balcony with Lena.

But there was no way it could be real.


	4. Chapter 4

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Kara makes not one, but two whole friends (and gets some tough love in the process), and resolves herself to get answers from someone.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I'd like to take a moment to apologize for taking a bit longer to update with this chapter. Hopefully the next one won't take as long.
> 
> Also, buckle up, kids, because after this things are going to start getting intense.

Kara watched with less than mild interest as a group of gun-toting aliens rampaged in a bank across the street from where she was. She’d been having lunch at her newest favorite eatery – the potstickers here were to-die for. Then, all hell broke loose across the street as a bank was robbed by desperate or foolhardy aliens.

Police set up shop all around the area, barging into restaurants and shops around the bank, demanding patrons stay inside and stay down. The situation was too volatile for evacuations at the moment. Of course, Kara didn’t plan on leaving until she was done eating her mountain of potstickers or the assortment of entrees that she had ordered for herself. She couldn’t be bothered to get down, though

As she watched, several blacked-out vehicles pulled up and agents in tactical gear got out. They took over the scene, having the police back off for the time being. There was a great deal of shouting that Kara didn’t pay any attention to. It wasn’t nearly as interesting as her food.

However, several minutes later, the sound of gunfire did get her attention. Kara looked up and saw two agents get shot. A third, a woman with short, brunette hair, was going to play hero to rescue her fellow agents. It put the woman right in the line of fire, and the aliens took immediate notice of her.

Now _that_ was a human worth saving – someone who put others before themselves, which was such a rare thing nowadays.

A handful of guns were pointed at the doomed hero, but Kara was faster than the bullets that came from them. She got in front of the woman and one of the fallen agents with time to spare, acting as a shield for them. Bullets bounced right off of her, dropping harmlessly to the ground.

Rather than see if the folks behind her were okay, Kara decided that enough was enough. She walked through the ruined floor-to-ceiling glass walls of the bank, making the would-be villains panic. With her intervention, it took all the pressure off the police and government agents, as the aliens focused on her as the biggest risk.

It took next to no time at all for Kara to eliminate the threat that the aliens posed. She left broken bones and wailing beings in her wake. Their guns were broken in half or smashed into oblivion. As she turned to walk away and let the authorities take away the bad guys, she saw the agent she saved waiting expectantly.

Sighing, Kara walked out of the bank the way that she came in. She had half a mind to take off right then and there. However, the agent started in her direction and spoke.

“Supergirl, I presume?” she asked.

“Don’t call me that,” Kara responded curtly.

“Then what can I call you?” the agent persisted.

The blonde huffed and crossed her arms over her chest. “My name is Kara.”

“Special Agent Alex Danvers,” the agent introduced herself, offering her hand. “I wanted to say thank you for saving my life.”

Kara was surprised by the praise, but still shook the woman’s hand – careful not to squeeze too tight. “You’re welcome.” It wasn’t every day that people thanked her. Most responded to her in the same way Lena Luthor had – either telling her to leave or they ran away screaming.

“Usually I’m the one doing the saving. I appreciate you stepping in – I know it’s not exactly your thing.”

“Been keeping tabs on me?” Kara perked a brow.

“Part of my job,” Alex answered. “How about I buy you a drink? I’d say you earned one.”

Once again, Kara was taken by surprise. This special agent was speaking her language. “Yeah, sure, if you’re buying.”

Alex pulled a pen and small notebook from one of her pockets, scrawling out an address and handing it over. “I guarantee you’ve never been to this place. I’ll probably get there about ten, you can show up whenever you want.”

Kara glanced at the paper and then offered Alex a nod, before taking off. What was left of her lunch got left behind, because after making a rescue like that, the people in the immediate area wouldn’t leave her alone. Normally she would have been upset about the lost food, but… having saved someone worth saving had her feeling pretty good.

It was a feeling that she hadn’t gotten in a very long time.

For that very reason, a little after ten that night, Kara found herself walking into some hole-in-the-wall bar. It wasn’t a place that she expected a government agent to hang out, especially once she got a look at the crowd inside. There were the typical rough looking types that one would expect from such a bar, but there were also a great many aliens in the bar. The atmosphere was a fairly pleasant one, humans and aliens mingling and drinking and generally having a good time.

“Kara!”

She heard her name and glanced in the direction she heard it from, seeing Alex and another woman sitting in a booth. She hadn’t signed up for meeting more than one person, but she was here already and somebody else was picking up her tab. Kara walked over and sat across from the two women.

“Kara, this is my girlfriend, Maggie,” Alex introduced them.

“I heard about what happened at the bank and wanted to thank you myself,” Maggie explained, reaching her hand across the table.

Kara shook the woman’s hand. “I just happened to be in the right place at the right time.” Getting praised twice in one day was making her feel a little uncomfortable. Such things were reserved for people that actually cared, that actually made a difference.

Before anything else could be said, a bartender came over and set a glass in front of her. “I ordered a drink for you,” Alex explained. “I figured you need something that packs a little more punch.”

Kara couldn’t help but let out a laugh. “You figured right,” she agreed, taking a drink. “So, what’s a government agent doing in a place like this?”

“Maggie actually introduced me to it,” Alex answered. “It’s a fairly quiet place, where those who don’t really feel like they have somewhere to belong can come and be around others that feel the same.”

Kara was about to take another drink, but stopped midway, eyeing Alex over the glass. “Who said I don’t belong somewhere?”

“In the past five years, the longest you’ve stayed in one single place is three months. Nobody wanders like that when they’ve got somewhere to belong,” Alex stated point blank.

Since when did people start talking to her like this? First, Lena unceremoniously kicked her out - twice, now this government agent was coming out swinging. Alex had to have some nerves of steel, and it made Kara laugh.

“I thought I came out here for a drink, not to get psycho-analyzed,” she replied, then finished bringing the glass to her lips.

“You didn’t say that you didn’t want to get psycho-analyzed,” Maggie pointed out with a smirk.

Once more, Kara found herself laughing. “I’ll remember to specify next time that I don’t want a therapy session with my beer.”

“You know, that’s three times now that you’ve saved the day since you came to National City,” Alex said after a few moments. “You’re pretty good at it… if a little messy in the way you go about it.”

“Why do I feel like there’s a job offer coming on?” Kara asked suspiciously.

“It’s obvious that you could do the hero thing.”

Kara shook her head. “Nope. Not a chance. Stop right there. I’m not going to do the _hero thing_.”

“Could have fooled me,” Maggie spoke up again, and suddenly Kara realized why the woman was here. She was clearly Alex’s back up on this mission. “The last three big incidents in National City, Supergirl has shown up to.”

“Why do people insist on continuing to call me that?” Kara asked, exasperated. “I hate it when people call me that.”

“Because you don’t feel like a hero?” Alex questioned. “Or because it comes with responsibility?”

“Okay, I came here to have a drink, maybe enjoy a little bit of conversation…”

Alex lifted a challenging brow. “The door is right there.”

Kara glanced from the woman, to the door, and back again. She let out a huff and slouched in the booth, taking another drink.

Alex grinned triumphantly. “That’s what I thought. I’ll get you another round.” She lifted a hand and motioned for the bartender to bring another round of drinks over to them. “Just take it into consideration, okay? You have a lot of potential, you could do some real good.”

“Maybe you should have told me that about a hundred and fifty years ago,” Kara suggested.

The other two women exchanged a look, both clearly taken aback. “You’re… that old?” Maggie questioned.

“Older,” Kara answered, taking a bigger swig from her glass. “That’s just what I can remember.”

“We thought you were another alien that came to Earth when you showed up on our radar,” Alex admitted.

Kara shook her head. “I’ve been here a lot longer than that.”

“And you’ve always been…?” Rather than finish her question, Alex gestured generally to the blonde.

“As far as I know.” When the next round of drinks was brought to the table, Kara was ready for her glass of… whatever Alex had ordered for her. It was good stuff, usually it took a few bottles of hard liquor to even get her tipsy.

“I can’t believe you’re that old,” Maggie commented. “You don’t look a day over twenty-five.”

“Perk of being a _not_ hero,” Kara replied, giving Alex a pointed look.

“You’re more of a hero than you think,” Alex replied confidently.

Kara stayed at the bar and talked with Alex and Maggie for quite some time. More than once Alex pushed the whole ‘hero’ thing, but Kara was adamant. They talked about the goings on in National City, and Kara told the other two about the things she’d seen in the world. They even got onto the subject of Kara’s lost memory – and she told them that one day she woke up and had no idea who she was. Since then, no place she went to felt like home, and she’d been to a _a lot_ of places.

By the time she was ready to leave, Kara was pleasantly buzzed. It was a great feeling, especially considering she didn’t need to drink as much as she usually had to in order to get to that point. Alex and Maggie each gave her a business card with their contact information. It turned out that Maggie was a detective with the National City police.

“You good to fly home?” Alex asked as they all stood up.

“Oh yeah. Believe me, I’ve been in worse shape than this,” Kara answered with a smile.

“I know you’re tired of hearing about it, but… if you wanted, we could not only help you with the hero thing, but we could also help you establish a life – a real life, that you could actually live. Instead of wandering and feeling like there’s no place for you in the world.”

Kara’s smile fell. “I’ll think about it,” she placated the brunette. After goodbyes and a promise to do this again, she left the bar.

It had been nice to go somewhere that was filled with other misfits and outcasts. For the first time, Kara felt like just maybe, there really was a place for her in the world. Actually, no – that wasn’t exactly accurate. She’d felt something similar.

On Lena Luthor’s balcony. When Lena had come so very close to kissing her.

There had to be something there, Kara thought as the cool, night air whipped around her while she flew. Why else would Lena be so incredibly adamant about staying away from her? Here in National City was the first time they had met… that Kara could remember. Had they met before? It certainly seemed like it.

Right now was not a great time to go make a confrontation, though. It was late, and she was slightly inebriated. Tomorrow, though. After she got some much needed sleep, she would go pay Lena another visit and get some real answers. If nothing else, she wanted to know why Lena had come so close to kissing her – and not followed through.


	5. Chapter 5

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> A revelation is made - for better or worse.

Kara made it back to her apartment and was all too happy to simply drop onto the couch. It had been a long, yet fulfilling day that left her feeling… content? This was certainly a strange, yet welcomed feeling. Maybe coming to National City wasn’t so bad after all. Maybe making friends wasn’t so terrible either.

After kicking off her shoes and sprawling out, Kara grabbed the remote and flipped on her TV. Having something for white noise nearby always helped to drown out the rest of the world beyond her four walls. Some late-night news program was on, and of course they were running a story about the woman so heavily on her mind at the moment – one Lena Luthor.

When Lena’s picture came on screen, Kara studied the powerful CEO. She’d seen the woman on TV dozens of times, but now that she thought about it, the sense of familiarity she felt when she first met Lena couldn’t have been because of that. This ran deeper. The feeling was too strong for the passing knowledge she got from television, like the rest of the world. 

Her mind begged for understanding of it, or memories of _something_ that felt like they should have been there. However, Kara was too tired and the subject was too heavy for the moment. It would have to wait until morning – then she could get answers straight from the source. Hopefully.

Still, as she drifted off, green eyes haunted her thoughts.

_1853_

_They laid together in bed, naked under heavy blankets and wrapped up in each other. It had been five years since they had seen one another. This time, it felt like they had been apart longer than they truly had. They each found the loneliness more profound than usual as well. Perhaps it was because of how they’d left one another’s company last time._

_“I always find you,” Kara commented tiredly, gazing into Lena’s eyes as she laid facing the woman._

_“Mm, only because I let you,” Lena replied with a faint smile._

_“I would still find you – whether you_ let _me or not.” Kara leaned forward, crossing the short distance and pressing her lips to Lena’s._

_Lena placed her hand on Kara’s cheek. They’d been together for three days now, and their superhuman powers were gone. Letting their immortality go was dangerous, but this time they couldn’t seem to part._

_After a moment, Lena gently pushed Kara onto her back, then took possession of the blonde’s shoulder to use as a pillow. Under the blankets, her fingers ghosted over soft skin until she felt ridges that clawed at her heart. Just below Kara’s left breast was a truly awful scar from a wound that had come so close to taking Kara’s life._

_“Does it hurt?” she asked quietly, her touch light as a feather as she traced the mark._

_“You know it doesn’t,” Kara answered._

_Five years prior, they had been in Prague. There, they had been able to spend two wonderful months together without the world falling apart or people coming after them. Then, they had gotten caught in the political unrest that arose while they were there. Major violence had broken out and in defending Lena’s life, Kara nearly lost her own._

_That was how it always happened. They would spend enough time together to let their powers wane, and as if to tell them that their time was up, the world would send something terrible their way. Kara only had scars because she was protecting Lena._

_And Lena couldn’t live with that any more. After watching history repeat itself time and time again over the millennia, she had to break the cycle. She didn’t tell Kara about her plans – she couldn’t. The blonde wouldn’t understand, she’d be furious… and most of all, she would stop Lena._

_Kara stiffened a bit as they heard knocking on the front door downstairs – a reaction born from all the times that trouble found them at the worst possible moment._

_“It’s alright,” Lena soothed. “It’s Diana. I’ve been expecting her.” She shifted to prop herself up on her elbow, pecking Kara on the cheek before getting out of bed. Quickly, she pulled some clothes on, glad that Kara decided to stay in bed and enjoy the view. “Get dressed, my love, and come down when you’re ready.”_

_“I’ll be down in a minute,” Kara replied as she got out of bed and Lena left the room. Without her super hearing, Kara could only hear the door open and close downstairs as she took her time getting dressed. With Diana there, she and Lena were as safe as could be._

_Or so she thought._

_Eventually, Kara headed downstairs two join the other two women. The smile that was on her face as she stepped into the parlor dropped a bit. Something was wrong – she could feel it in the air, see it in the way that Lena’s brow was creased in distress._

_“What is it?” Kara asked. “What’s wrong?”_

_“I’m so sorry, my love,” Lena apologized._

_Before Kara realized it, Diana – still in full possession of all her powers – restrained and forced her to her knees. Immediately, Kara began to struggle. She and Lena had been in each others’ company too long, though. All her strength was gone._

_“What are you doing?” Kara demanded._

_An answer wasn’t immediate, as Lena walked over to a wooden box that was sitting on an end table next to the fireplace. She opened it and produced a green crystal orb, big enough to fill her hand. Kara recognized what it was._

_Being ancient, as immortal as anything could ever be, sometimes they lived through things that were truly horrifying. Sometimes, for the greater good, they did things that were truly horrible. Much of it was centered around death – be it the death of another ancient, a human, some repulsive monstrosity, or even tens of thousands of humans when it was necessary. Rather than living with those memories, sometimes it was easier to pluck them out and store them away where they couldn’t do any more damage._

_It involved ancient magic that fewer and fewer people knew how to do. That was something Kara never resorted to. She would bear the weight of every single one of her decisions for as long as she walked the earth._

_However, this crystal was much, much larger than others she had seen. It was meant to hold more than a single memory._

_“Lena, why do you have that?” she asked._

_Lena walked over and knelt in front of Kara, eyes full of sorrow and regret. “I can’t lose you, Kara. The world needs its champion, and I need you to be alive. Last time… it was too close. I can’t do that again.”_

_“Lena, please.” Kara felt her eyes begin to sting as tears began to build._

_“It will be better this way, my darling,” Lena replied, her own voice cracking. “You won’t miss what you can’t remember, the world will have its champion, and I will be happy to know that you are safe – always.”_

_Kara renewed her struggle against the hold Diana had on her. She yanked and tugged her arms… and for just a moment she managed to pull Diana forward with her. Desperation was a powerful motivation._

_“Lena, do it now,” Diana said sternly, clearly rattled by Kara’s sudden – and what should have been impossible - bout of strength._

_Lena lifted the crystal and let it rest against Kara’s temple. Her cheeks were wet with tears as she began to whisper ancient words that less than a handful of people knew anymore._

_“Lena, please,” Kara said again, unable to stop the flow of tears now. “Please don’t do this.” The strongest being the world had ever known was on her knees, begging for mercy – but not from an enemy. No, this was far worse. She was begging for mercy from that which, out of all the world, she loved most._

_There was no answer from her lover, and she began to feel pain where the crystal was resting against her temple. However, that pain was nothing compared to the shattering of her heart. It broke for the loss that she knew was coming._

~~~

Lena was spending yet another late night in the office. Truly, her company could run itself, she’d built it so well. However, if she didn’t have her hands in the business – always working to make things better – she would have nothing to do with her time.

As she looked over spreadsheets, a sudden increase in wind outside caught her attention. She glanced over her shoulder, and despite the late hour, she could see storm clouds seemingly building out of nowhere. It was an odd occurrence – the weather forecast for the rest of the week had called for clear skies and plenty of sunshine.

Lightning tore apart the sky over National City, followed by a crack of thunder that could have shaken the very Earth itself.

Lena’s heart froze in her chest. She had seen this kind of “freak” storm before – when someone’s emotions were running too high. Her attention snapped to the safe in her wall. Quickly, she got up and crossed the distance to it. Her hands were shaking so badly, it was almost difficult to open the safe and retrieve the green crystal from within.

The crystal was as stormy as she had ever seen. Dark clouds festered inside it, and when lightning struck outside, there was a sudden bright light within the crystal. Something truly ominous was coming.

~~~

_“Lena,” Kara tried again. She could feel her memories slipping away, leaving a hole behind that was getting larger with each passing moment. Any second was going to be her last. “I’ll still find you.”_

_Lena finished uttering the words and let the magic finish taking its course. “This time, I’m not going to let you, my darling,” she whispered._

_Kara tried to fight the magic, tried to hold on. “I will still find you,” she insisted. “No matter how long it takes.”_

_“Then I’ll be waiting for you.”_

_Despite her best efforts, Kara knew this wasn’t a fight she could win – and the fight was almost over. “I love you, Lena.”_

_“And I love you, Kara. With all my heart. I hope someday… you’ll understand.”_

_Lena closed the distance between them and Kara felt the faintest brush of her lips before everything went black._

~~~ 

As Kara jolted awake, across the city Lena’s eyes widened in disbelief. Thunder shook her building as she watched the orb in her hands begin to splinter with cracks. A moment later, it cracked apart before disintegrating to dust, the powder slipping between her fingers.

The magic that had bound it all together was gone. All the memories that had been contained within the crystal were now back with their original owner.

And there was nothing Lena could do to fix it.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Everybody likes a cliffhanger, right?! No? Whoops.
> 
> My bad.


	6. Chapter 6

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Titans meet again.

_The Beginning  
_

_Before Man had a proper way to keep track of the passing of time, she remembered searching. She roamed the earth, looking for… something. What that ‘something’ was, she didn’t know. However, she was compelled to find whatever it was, because she knew it would make her whole._

_She had abilities that Man was not gifted with. Some envied her. Some worshipped her. Some despised her._

_Through it all, she didn’t know how many times over she wandered the vast world. It was much bigger than Man knew or could comprehend at the time. Man was disjointed, disconnected… but not terribly different from one another._

_One day, she had come to one of Man’s largest civilizations yet. They were coming a long way, from what she had seen. This civilization was advancing Mans’ knowledge and gave them a place to gather. It filled her with warmth and pride for them – Man could do so very much, already she could see it._

_It was there she found what she was looking for._

_On a cloudy day, amidst a crowd of people, time came to a complete stop. She saw_ her _. Dark hair and pale skin - the most beautiful creature upon the earth. The clouds suddenly parted and sunshine washed over them._

_She carefully pushed through the crowd so as not to hurt any of the humans. The woman met her halfway and without a single word, they embraced one another and kissed. They both knew that they had found what they were searching for, for so long._

Kara felt a swell of emotions as memories sorted themselves out and settled back to their proper places. It was so much to take in all at once – millennia worth of knowledge and memories. It was more than any mortal could have handled. One thing stormed to the forefront of her mind, though.

A keen sense of betrayal.

Had her conscience not been fully, firmly back in place, Kara probably would have taken off from right inside her apartment. However, there were families that lived around her - elderly folks, and children tucked away for the night. A sonic boom and the destruction that came from such a takeoff wouldn’t do well here.

Kara went to one of her windows, throwing it open and leaping from it out into the wicked storm that was raging. She knew, now, that it was her own volatile emotional state causing the rocky weather. There would be no calming down for the time being.

Safely away from the apartment building, the sound barrier didn’t stand a chance against her. The boom was lost to the roar of thunder. Flying through the driving rain was going to leave her soaking wet, but she simply didn’t care. Wet clothes were currently the least of her worries.

Right now, there was someone she needed to talk to – whether Lena liked it or not. And Lena probably wasn’t going to like it.

Kara hadn’t even made it halfway to Lena’s tower when something – _someone_ – tackled her straight out of the sky. That was quite the feat, to be able to successfully hit a target moving at supersonic speeds _and_ have the strength to do so.

There were only two people left on the planet that could have managed the feat, and Kara had a feeling as to who it was. The two hit the ground hard, leaving a crater and smashing through the wall of a warehouse. Kara jumped to her feet, practically growling as she faced her assailant.

“Stay out of this, Diana,” she warned, glowering at the woman who was dressed in her Wonder Woman gear.

“You have your memories back then,” Diana observed. She had suspected as much, because of the storm.

“You’ve caused enough problems,” Kara stated. “You won’t stand between Lena and me. We both know you can’t.”

“What she did, she did to save you,” Diana tried to reason with Kara. “You have to remember that you weren’t listening to her in the end. You refused to leave her, despite how dangerous you knew it to be. Whatever you’re planning to go do, it will only cause more pain.”

“I don’t have to explain myself to you, and you’re not going to stop me. Stand down before you regret it.” As Kara turned away, she felt a hand on her shoulder. Without a second thought, her fist came out as she swung around. She hit Diana squarely in the chest, sending her across the open space.

After hitting the ground and rolling, Diana got to her feet and charged. Had Kara not swung first, they wouldn’t have come to blows. She crossed the distance in a flash and went to use her shield to bash Kara. The shield struck… but Kara didn’t move. Diana looked down in surprise, then met angry blue eyes – that didn’t stay blue for long.

Kara felt her anger gathering, channeling heat into her vision until it let loose in bright beams. Diana had to lift her shield to protect herself. The red-hot beams hit the shield and pushed Diana back. Kara leaned into the attack, positioning herself to put more power behind it. Diana lost more ground, more quickly – it was all she could do to keep upright against the onslaught. But, it wasn’t enough. As Kara took a step forward, then another, it was too much for Diana. She lost her footing, falling before being pushed back through another wall.

Kara didn’t stop until she had walked through the newly wrecked wall and left Diana in a small crater. They were both panting heavily, but only one of them was still on their feet.

“Stay _down_ , Diana,” Kara warned. She only waited a moment before taking off from right where she was inside the building. This time, there was no one to stop her – not even the sound barrier that broke again.

The storm was still raging over National City as Kara touched down on the balcony of Lena’s tower. Just as she suspected, the woman was still inside – seemingly working away like nothing had happened. Kara let herself right inside, soaking wet to the point of dripping, as she crossed Lena’s office in silence. She went to the wall where there was a crystal decanter full of amber liquid, and poured herself a glass.

Lena watched Kara without a word, feeling as if electricity was charging the air between them. She had expected anger and fury, not silence. That was far, far worse than facing down an angry titan’s wrath – and Kara’s wrath was not something to tangle with.

As the blonde lifted the glass to her lips, Lena couldn’t help but speak, even if it was only a single word. “Kara?”

The glass in Kara’s hand shattered against her lips as her hand closed to a fist around it when Lena spoke. So much for a drink. It took a few moments, but eventually Kara turned to face Lena. The other woman was worried and hadn’t gotten up from her desk yet.

Kara ran a hand through her hair to tame it somewhat. “I would ask why… but I’m probably not going to like the answer,” she said.

“I thought it was for the best,” Lena replied, slowly getting up from her chair. She knew exactly what Kara was talking about, without the blonde having to state it explicitly. “You weren’t listening to me anymore. I was trying to save you – to save us.”

“It’s been over a hundred and fifty years, Lena!” Kara raised her voice. In all the time they had been together, she had only ever raised her voice a few times. “You left me alone for over a hundred and fifty years!”

Lena wrung her hands, feeling like everything was crashing down around her. “I wanted to break the crystal, I did-“

“-But you didn’t!”

“Kara, please, listen-“

“-No, Lena! You listen!” Kara didn’t care if anyone was in the building to overhear them. It was late enough, there couldn’t have been that many people around in the first place. “Whether you wanted to break the crystal or not, you left me _alone_! You took my voice out of the equation in the first place!”

“Kara, I’m sorry.” Lena was practically begging, reaching out for the blonde as she took a couple of steps forward.

And for those steps forward, Kara backed up. “I was so, so tired… I hated watching mankind fight itself time and time again. I wanted a break from it, from them, and you made me believe we were getting that. And then, you took _everything_ away from me.” She paused for a moment, then let out an uncharacteristically cruel laugh. “At least I didn’t know how disappointed I was in mankind during the World Wars… should I thank you for that?”

“You should hate me,” Lena admitted. By the cold edge of Kara’s voice, Lena suspected they were dangerously close to just that. “That’s why I didn’t break the crystal. I was so very afraid to lose you, Kara. You were losing hope and growing tired of saving mankind…”

“But you could let me lose everything?” Kara demanded. “How _could_ you, Lena?”

Lena couldn’t stop the tears from swelling and spilling onto her cheeks. “I was afraid,” she whispered. “I was never as strong as you. I didn’t think you could miss what you didn’t remember. You could continue being the hero that you are, and you would always be safe, because you wouldn’t be around me.”

“Well… I hope it was worth it.” Kara was ready to leave right then and there, heading back for the door to the balcony. All she wanted was to leave National City and not look back. However, as her hand met glass, she paused. Lena wasn’t begging her to stay, but she did hear something…

A familiar song that was only for her to hear – the same steady song that Lena’s heart always beat out for her. That was a stronger pull than any word or plea. It was the calming sound she had counted on and let soothe her for thousands of years.

Suddenly, she wasn’t at the door anymore. She went to Lena, grabbing the other woman and pulling her in. A moment later and their lips were pressed together. The embrace sent shockwaves through her, rocking her to her very core.

Lena was surprised by the kiss, but melted against Kara – no matter how wet the blonde was. She reached up, hands desperately gripping Kara’s shirt to keep them anchored together. She kissed Kara with fervor, needing to convey her feelings in a way that words would never be able to.

After spending more than a century and a half alone, finally being whole again was nearly overwhelming. Kara reached down and took hold of Lena, lifting the woman into her arms. As Lena’s legs wrapped around her waist, Kara turned and headed them in the direction of the nearest wall. She bumped Lena’s desk hard enough to displace it, but couldn’t be bothered to pay any attention to it.

Lena moaned into the kiss as her back hit the wall. Thankfully there wasn’t enough force to do any damage to the wall. She had just renovated her office, and didn’t need to do so again – especially for something like this.

“This doesn’t… mean…” Kara managed to speak in between passionate kisses, “that I… forgive you.”

“N-no, of course not,” Lena replied, head tilting to one side as Kara’s lips moved to her neck. “Gods, Kara, please. I need you.”

Knowing Lena had a good grip around her with her legs, Kara grabbed Lena’s shirt and tugged at it. With minimal effort, it was off. Kara was careful not to damage any clothing, since she highly doubted Lena had extra clothes just lying around the office. She tossed the shirt aside, then went for the pants that Lena had on.

While she worked at that fasten, Lena pulled at Kara’s shirt until it came free – temporarily halting Kara’s attempts at getting her undressed. When Lena’s pants were undone, Kara came to an impasse since the woman’s legs were wrapped around her. So, she sat Lena back on the ground and got the woman out of her pants.

Lena didn’t let her hands be idle. She worked at Kara’s clothes as well, needing the blonde as badly as Kara needed her. The two worked their way over to the couch in Lena’s office, losing the rest of their clothes as they went.

When they got to their destination, Kara laid Lena back on the couch and followed her down. Their lips reconnected in a scorching kiss and one of Kara’s hands reacquainted itself with Lena’s body as the other held her above the woman.

Eventually, Kara’s hand found the apex of Lena’s thighs and as her fingers slipped between the woman’s legs, Lena arched into her. Lena was more than ready for her, but Kara didn’t want this to be over quick. She wanted to draw it out after being apart for so long. Her touches were long and slow, and probably fairly maddening, but Lena didn’t complain once.

Lena’s hips started to move in time with Kara’s fingers. She gripped Kara’s shoulder with one hand, her fingers tangling into wet, blonde hair with the other. Despite the gentle, slow teasing, sensation was building at breakneck speeds.

When Kara finally pressed a finger inside her, Lena had to tear her lips away to let out a shaky moan. Her grip on Kara tightened, all but holding on for dear life as it felt like she was going to burst at the seams. It had been so easy to ignore what she needed when Kara didn’t remember, but now… now it was all she could to do keep herself together.

“Lena, look at me,” Kara said, a slight commanding edge to her voice.

Lena’s eyes had been closed tight, but she opened them when she was bid to. She stared into Kara’s blue eyes, unable to deny the blonde what she wanted. Her breath came out in ragged pants and her voice was forced out a little with each one.

As she started unraveling, Lena closed her eyes and used all her strength to pull her lover close. “Oh, Kara… _Kara_.” She cried out as she came undone, desperately holding on to Kara as she rode out the waves of pleasure. She didn’t care how loud she was, or whether her office door was locked or not. All she cared about in that moment was Kara.

It was hard to say how long the waves of pleasure coursed through her body, but Kara eased her through it all until her hips came to a stop. She held Kara securely to her for long moments, enjoying the warmth and fearing what would happen when she let go. If only they could stay in this moment forever, but she knew sooner or later she had to face her actions.

That was what made her loosen her grip. As Kara leaned back to look at her, Lena opened her eyes and tears sprang forth again. Rather than wiping them away, she moved her hand to rest on Kara’s cheek.

“I love you, my darling,” Lena whispered.

“I love you, too, Lena.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Wow, this was a difficult chapter to write (if you couldn't tell by the two weeks between updates). Hopefully the end of the chapter made up for it.
> 
> I feel like this fic will probably start to wind down now. I'm sure there's still at least a couple chapters left of story to tell - so fear not. And I will certainly give you warning as we near the end.


End file.
